Although Kesha is known for her Auto-Tuned club bangers, she kicked it old school with a performance of the Beach Boys’ classic “California Girls.”

Kesha took the stage on March 30 at Brian Fest, an event celebrating the music of iconic singer-songwriter Brian Wilson. When the “Crazy Kids” singer took the stage, it was not in a cloud of glitter, but rather a moment that paid tribute to the inimitable sound of the Beach Boys.

Dressed in a white blouse and leather mini-skirt, Kesha belted, “I been all around this great big world / And I seen all kinds of girls / Yeah, but I couldn’t wait to get back in the states / Back to the cutest girls in the world.”

We think that Kesha sounds amazing in the performance. As much as we love the catchiness of her songs “We R Who We R” and “TiK ToK,” we also love that she’s flaunting her insane vocals, no Auto-Tune necessary.

Also, we think the lyrics are perfect for Kesha — especially the line about the “Midwest farmer’s daughters” — given that she grew up in a small town outside of Nashville. (Case in point: her cameo on The Simple Life.)

Here’s an interesting tidbit of celebrity knowledge: Michael Jackson used to prank call Russell Crowe. ”For two or three f—ing years!” Crowe says.

In a recent interview with the Guardian — during which the notoriously difficult actor was notably “on good form” — the Academy Award winner revealed that the King of Pop would prank call him at his hotels.

“I never met him, never shook his hand, but he found out the name I stayed in hotels under,” Crowe explained. “So it didn’t matter where I was, he’d ring up, do this kind of thing, like you did when you were 10, you know.”

“‘Is Mr. Wall there? Is Mrs. Wall there? Are there any Walls there? Then what’s holding the roof up? Ha ha’,” the actor recalled. “You’re supposed to grow out of doing that, right?”

While fans may initially be tempted to laugh at the silliness of the prank, it is well known that Michael Jackson never really grew up. From breathtakingly emotional songs such as “Childhood” to his famed Peter Pan–themed Neverland Ranch, it’s clear that Jackson never had a successful transition to adulthood. Which, quite honestly, makes his prank calls to Russell Crowe pretty poignant and frankly, kind of sad.

Even the actor points it out: “You’re supposed to grow out of doing that, right?”

In an interview with USA Today, the “Home to Mama” singer discussed his new music (!!!), casually mentioning that he’s working with two legends: Kanye West and Rick Rubin. Of course, you know Kanye from his massive singles and internet-breaking rants. Rubin is the founder of Def Jam Records, who’s worked with superstars including Ed Sheeran, Eminem, Adele and Lana Del Rey.

“I’m finishing up the album now, working with Kanye and Rick,” Justin revealed. “I’m not rushing it, I’ll just wait until it’s totally done.”

As for the sound, JB dropped a few hints.

“I don’t want to say ‘it’s different,’ because that’s what everyone says,” Justin said. “But it is different, it’s a grown-up version of Justin and I think people will be shocked.”

Of course, Justin’s life has been in flux for the past few months. The singer is owning up to his past mistakes and turning over a new leaf, which will be reflected in the upcoming music.

“My whole direction has changed,” he explained. “What you are thinking about all the time is what you write, and now that I’m thinking about more positive things, it completely changes my music. I had to re-do my whole (new) album. It was done but it didn’t match up to where I am now and where my head’s at. I want to tell my story, but I also want to give people hope. I lost hope for a while, I was in a dark place, but it’s about getting out of that rut. It’s about knowing there’s sunshine on the other side.”

Decked out in a figure-hugging sailor outfit, Meghan Trainor delighted the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards audience with a live performance of her latest single “Dear Future Husband.” Meghan was just one of a seeming endless list of stars to take the stage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Sunday night (March 29). Watch her dazzling set in the video above!

The 21-year-old singer, who rocketed up the charts with her first breakout single “All About That Bass,” was nominated for Best New Artist, Song of the Year and the Renegade Award.

It’s been a rough week for Directioners, who are still grappling with the devastating loss of Zayn Malik from One Direction. The one thing giving us hope in the midst of listening to Zayn’s best solos is an update on the band’s fifth album — straight from Niall Horan!

On March 29, the singer tweeted, “Had a sit down last night with the label , started organising our writing sessions for the next album! F— yeaaaahhhh! Can’t wait !”

Of course, Niall’s tweet follows rumors that Zayn is working on a solo project. While none of the other members of One Direction directly addressed the upcoming music, Liam Payne gave fans a shout-out on Twitter, writing, “I can see a lot of people thanking us for staying but your the real Heros here thanks for not thinking it’s finished.”

Zayn broke his silence in an interview with the Sun, saying, “I only ever tried to do it for the fans, and it was only ever for them…I’m only upset (because) I feel like I may have let them down in some sort of way. That’s the main thing that I don’t want to happen,” he said. “It’s not that I’ve turned my back on them or anything, it’s just that I just can’t do that anymore because it’s not real to me.”

From embellishments to leather, celebrities rocked some pretty stylish looks at the 2015 iHeart Radio Music Awards on March 29.

Taylor Swift embraced the cutouts trending, showing off the sides of her rib cage, but no belly button. On the other hand, Meghan Trainor took things to a sultry new level with her corset-inspired outfit.

The 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards continued one massive trend: Stars campaigning for the best-dressed honor. This awards show season has been one of many sartorial highs and few fashion lows, and the March 29 red carpet was no exception.

Ask Men released its list of the world’s 99 most outstanding woman — and let’s just say we weren’t surprised to see Emma Watson taking the list’s coveted No. 1 spot.

The actress who brought the iconic role of Hermione Granger to life — and will soon bring another iconic role to life — is obviously a class act. As the blurb accompanying Emma’s photo says, the actress has all the best characteristics (courage, loyalty, morality) of Hermione.

“Emma Watson is so many incredible things at once — rich, successful, famous, stylish, beautiful, intelligent, personable, kind,” Ask Men publisher James Bassil wrote. “And yet, rather than be content with a life of luxury, she’s thrown her back into a serious social issue in an effort to shift the way our society treats women.”

Just this year, Watson earned an Ivy League degree, made one the most powerful speeches we’ve ever heard, and was named UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.

The site also calls Emma “the face of feminism right now” and throws out a little-known fact about the star: She was called “bossy” for wanting to direct school plays as a child. All in all, we’re completely on board with the decision to grant Emma the list’s top spot.

Taylor Swift went back to her country roots on Thursday night (March 27), shocking the Nashville crowd at Kenny Chesney’s tour kickoff show by joining the musician onstage to perform “Big Star.”

“She signed autographs like she was Garth Brooks in a skirt,” Taylor belted out, singing the opening lines of the fun track as the crowd went wild. “And in the aftermath, that small time town was hers.” Hmm, sound like anyone we know?

As Taylor strutted her stuff onstage — showing off her legs so long that while they weren’t actually insured for $40 million they probably should be — we were reminded of just how much we love a good ol’ country T. Swift song. Don’t get us wrong: 1989 has been on straight repeat since October, but that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes get a little nostalgic for some Taylor twang.

To make the night even better, Taylor reached into the audience and grabbed the cutest little cowgirl in the crowd and brought her onstage and embraced her in a warm hug. SO CUTE.

For the first nine songs of the show, our sister site Taste of Country reports, T. Swift was backstage getting cozy with her rumored new guy Calvin Harris. Of course, this comes after eyewitnesses reportedly spotted them holding hands at a grocery store together. That in itself was pretty random (and interesting) considering Taylor has been crazy open about her life being totally cool without a boyfriend, and the fact that Calvin Harris once said he would swipe left on T. Swift (you can watch that vid over on TMZ).

In even more country Taylor Swift news, Dolly Parton opened up to People about how proud she is of the superstar.

“I think that little Taylor Swift has just done amazing,” the country icon gushed. “She knew exactly who she was, she had her dream, and she stuck with it. That’s what you gotta do. I’m just so proud of her.”

A photo posted by Drea De Matteo (@dreadematteo) on Mar 26, 2015 at 4:18pm PDT

AsThe New York Times reports, the explosion first erupted at a sushi restaurant in lower Manhattan at around 3:17 PM ET, eventually sending three buildings to the ground and causing fire damage to a fourth. The Times also reports that at least two people are missing in the wake of the explosion. Nineteen others were injured. Officials are investigating whether illegal plumbing and gas work being done at the sushi restaurant caused the blast.

Modern Family star Sarah Hyland also tweeted about her connection to the explosion and the effected area. She posted the following statement: “I grew up across the street. Thinking of my childhood neighborhood. Explosion shreds East Village, building collapses.”

Our thoughts are with Drea and everyone else affected by the explosion. We hope all those who were injured make full, speedy recoveries and that those who were lost are quickly found and reunited with their loved ones.

As if we needed another reason to covet Sophie Hunter’s life! (Refresher: She married Benedict Cumberbatch and is expecting his child!)

Photos of the gorgeous bride have surfaced and we must say — she looks every bit as radiant as, well, anyone who gets to marry Benedict Cumberbatch should look. Featuring a high neckline and translucent full sleeves, the stunning floor-length lace Valentino couture gown perfectly suits the demure British opera star.

Vogue reports that the publicity-shy couple married in a private ceremony on the Isle of Wright in England on Valentine’s Day. The ceremony preceded a reception at Mottistone Manor, which belongs to members of Sophie’s family.

The beautiful couple became engaged in November 2014 and news of Sophie’s pregnancy broke in January. She was already reportedly a few months along at that point, so hopefully we’ll be seeing first photos of the child soon.

More photos of the bride being fitted for her gown, shot by Annie Lebowitz, appear in Vogue‘s April print edition.

“What I found in the past is as things get on, and as they get girlfriends, the girlfriends are whispering things in their ears and saying like, ‘You should be a solo star,’ ‘You should be the lead singer.’ That’s usually the problem,” Walsh told RTE Radio One (quotes via E! News).

Some fans are referring to Zayn’s fiancée as the new Yoko Ono — a comparison with which Walsh agrees.

“Yeah, it happens in every band,” he said. “Happens in every band in the whole world. But they’ve had an amazing five years.”

Walsh also gave a little more insight into how the past few weeks have been for One Direction.

“I’ve heard the rumors for the last few weeks that everyone wasn’t happy in paradise,” he said. “The problem with these guys is they’ve been in a bubble for the last five years, pressure, working, a lot harder than people think, so something had to give. So Zayn was the first person just to crack up a little bit.”

Nick Jonas — no stranger to sudden, emphatic fame — agrees. “It’s always tough,” Nick told E! News, regarding what he thinks of Zayn’s decision to leave 1D. “You know, there’s never an easy time to make a decision like that. I commend him for doing what he feels is right for him and you got to stay true to yourself.”

While we’re sad to hear this, it makes sense. One Direction are known for their incredible work ethic, but we can imagine they’re under an insane amount of pressure.

“He’s made a lot of money,” Walsh added. “He’s seen the world. He’s had an amazing time with the other guys. That’s the good side of it. The dark side of it is all the traveling, the airports, in a bubble, not really seeing real life … They burn out, basically. The thing with One Direction is they were massive worldwide. They were going from continent to continent, right across America. Hotels … he probably didn’t see light of day, he was just working, working, working.”

A photo posted by alibambam (@alibambam) on Mar 22, 2015 at 4:48pm PDT

Kim Kardashian is one of the undisputed selfie queens of Instagram — and this little social media tidbit makes that even more clear.

In a photo shared on Instagram, the reality star, husband Kanye West and daughter North West accidentally photobomb a woman and her young child. You don’t have to look closely to see the entire West family flanking the woman on either side.

Clearly, it’s not an intentional appearance in the photo — both Kim and Kanye look like they don’t even realize the woman and her child are posing — but it is a pretty hilarious shot. After all, we’re pretty sure the last time Kim was anywhere other than front and center in a photo came back when she was Paris Hilton’s mysterious best friend.

Adding to the intrigue of the photo? The fact that the woman in the foreground happens to live a pretty fabulous life as well. Her name is Alice Bramford and according to the Daily Mail, she’s the daughter of billionaire Sir Anthony Bamford and Lady Carole, OBE.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the three were photographed at Nobu, a notoriously popular and fancy eatery. Alice’s caption is nonchalant (even though we know she had to have noticed her famous photobombers before posting the shot. Then again, the hashtag #GreatCompany could very well be in reference to Kimye and North.

The photo was clearly taken before Kim seemingly decided to return to her brunette roots. We’re glad to see her platinum blond ‘do got one last hurrah.

Another day, another accolade for Taylor Swift — but this one doesn’t praise her musical prowess, her enviable looks or even her charitable spirit. (Seriously, homegirl is a saint.)

This honor, unlike many of the others the songwriting juggernaut has received, praises her business savvy, pitting her alongside Apple’s CEO, European Central Bank’s president and various national leaders around the world.

Fortune magazine named the singer to its second annual World’s Greatest Leaders list. Taylor comes in at number six. This might seem like a head-scratcher to some, especially when you consider that Taylor made the list while Barack Obama did not. But whether or not you’re a fan of the singer (and really, how could you not be? Have you heard “Shake it Off?”) you have to admit: She’d done nearly everything right in her career thus far and she’s showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The blurb that accompanies Taylor’s listing calls her “pop’s savviest star” and praises her highly intentional money-making strategy. (Case in point: The time she went toe to toe with Spotify, possibly altering the way musicians are compensated for a very, very long time.)

“Taylor Swift didn’t become the highest-paid woman in the music business by accident,” the magazine states. There is definite truth to this; underneath that sweet-as-pie kitten-loving, red lipstick-wearing persona, there’s a seriously hard-working and intelligent woman who created a (ridiculously lucrative) brand around her own artistic sensibilities. She is, in many ways, a symbol for the future of the music industry.

I don’t have any tattoos. I have trouble committing to a pair of shoes in the morning; committing to something that would stay on my body for the rest of my life would be impossible. Maybe that’s why I’m in awe of movie tattoos, and the lengths some folks go to to show their love of film. Forever! You’ve got to be a pretty big fan of a movie to plaster it across your chest for eternity. What if your tastes change? When I was 14, I was really into Police Academy. Can you imagine if 20 years later my wife woke up every morning to this etched into my back?

I couldn’t find any Police Academy tattoos online. (Unfortunately; where are my Lt. Harris fans at?!?) But you name just about any other famous movie under the sun and someone’s had something from it tattooed on their body and then posted the evidence online for all the world to admire. Google “movie tattoos” and you’ll fall down a deep internet search hole; there are slogan tattoos, logo tattoos, even tattoos of Kevin Smith’s face. (Sure, why not.) A few are crazy, some are hideous, but a lot of them are really impressive, and a few are downright inspired (The Die Hard one!)

In no particular order, and determined by nothing more scientific than my own taste, I’ve compiled 25 of the most incredible movie-inspired tattoos into the gallery above. I will not be getting any of them (except #4; that one’s happening), but I appreciate all of them.

In a stunning turn of events, French prosecutors investigating Tuesday’s crash of a Germanwings Airbus have said they believe that the plane’s co-pilot caused the crash deliberately. The co-pilot, 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz, apparently refused to readmit the flight’s captain back into the cockpit. He then took full control of the plane, directing it into the French Alps, where it disintegrated on impact, killing all 150 people onboard.

The lead investigator, Brice Robin, announced at a press conference in Marseille, France, on Thursday that his team had listened to the cockpit’s voice recorder (the “black box”) to make their shocking determination. “At this moment, in light of investigation, the interpretation we can give at this time is that the co-pilot through voluntary abstention refused to open the door of the cockpit to the commander, and activated the button that commands the loss of altitude,” Robin said.

Lubitz’s reasons for doing so remain unknown at this point, though he is not suspected of terrorist ties and was not on any watch lists. Robin told reporters that “[Lubitz did this] for a reason we cannot fathom right now but which looks like intent to destroy this aircraft.”

The co-pilot had passed all medical and flight examinations, according to Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr. (Lufthansa owns Germanwings.) He was “100 percent fit to fly,” Spohr said.

Why Lubitz did what he did remains the No. 1 mystery at this time, but there is another issue that merits investigation: how could the captain be locked out of his own cockpit? The captain, identified only as Patrick S. by authorities thus far, can enter a code from outside the cockpit to gain reentry; it is currently unclear whether he did this. But even if he had, the co-pilot could have “put the lever on lock,” which would have blocked the code, according to Spohr.

The flight, Germanwings 9525, takes off from Barcelona on Tuesday bound for Dusseldorf, Germany.

Soon after, the captain goes over the flight plan with Lubitz.

The captain then exits the cockpit (we do not know exactly why as yet).

Lubitz then “manipulates the flight monitoring system to activate the descent of the plane,” said Robin.

When the captain tries to return to the cockpit, he is denied entry.

At first he knocks lightly on the door, then progressively harder, but never gets any response from Lubitz in the cockpit.

Passengers onboard would probably have had no idea what was happening until close to the end. ”Only towards the end do you hear screams,” Robin added. “And bear in mind that death would have been instantaneous … The aircraft was literally smashed to bits.”

Investigations will continue, starting with the search for the flight’s second voice recorder, which will provide information on the plane’s instrumentation. Lubitz will also remain a primary target of inquiry, though to this point no one seems to be able to explain why he deliberately sent himself, five crew members, and 144 innocent passengers to their deaths.

She’s the singer behind the mega-popular body-positive anthem “All About That Bass,” so it’s no surprise that Meghan Trainor is anti-Photoshop — or at least the practice of Photoshoping celebrity images until they look completely unrealstic.

More and more stars are becoming vocal about how rampant the altering of celebrity images is and Meghan is definitely one of them.

“They won’t let me see photos before they are released. It kills me. I’ve asked about 100 times,” Meghan told the Daily Mail’s You magazine. “One photo was altered so I looked tanned and I was angry because I love my snow-white skin. I rock it. There are a few covers coming out that I’m frightened about. I’ve said, ‘Do you think Beyonce releases a picture she hasn’t approved?’ They shoot me down. I think they’re lying.”

Meghan spoke to the magazine about body image, songwriting (with Harry Styles, no less!) and the misconception that she hates skinny women. (Blame that “skinny bitches” line from “All About That Bass.”)

“People said I hate skinny people, which is ridiculous. I have a really beautiful, skinny best friend, just a goddess. When we go out it’s all eyes on her. When we get ready to go out and I look at myself, I’m, like, ‘Damn, I look good!’ and she’ll go, ‘Oh, my forehead!’ or ‘Oh, my shoulders are too wide’ and I’m, like, ‘WHAT?,’” Meghan said.

“There is a study in the States that found the number of girls who hate their bodies has doubled,” she added. “My three-minute song ["All About That Bass"] has helped a lot of people. It’s shocking that it only took a three-minute song. One father came up to me after a show and said, ‘You saved my daughter’s life.’ It’s incredible, it’s crazy. It’s been an epic year.”

The remaining members of One Direction have broken their silence on Zayn Malik‘s departure from the band. (Psst, Directioners: We may have cried actual tears while posting the above photo. We know how hard it is to see the group sans Zayn.)

After releasing a formal statement via Facebook on Wednesday, March 25 (aka the day our souls died), Harry, Liam, Louis and Niall all expressed their feelings via Twitter late on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning (March 26).

While we’re still desperately trying to make sense of the situation (as we listen to 1D’s entire discography on repeat while softly crying to ourselves), we still support the band as they continue on as a four-piece.

“My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band,” Zayn announced in a statement on Wednesday. “I’d like to apologize to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.”

It’s only been a few hours since news of Zayn Malik‘s departure from One Direction first broke, but it looks like Directioners may be in for another punch to the gut. The rumor mill is working overtime, as speculation that Harry Styles may be in talks to go solo and try his hand at acting has already begun.

According to a source at E! News, “Harry has told his friends that the wants to get into acting. He loves Los Angeles.” The source goes on to say, “Harry has distanced himself from the rest of the band over the last year. He considers himself to be on a different path to the other boys. He certainly has hopes of doing solo stuff, branching out on his own, and so this might be the natural juncture in which to do that.”

We’re not exactly sure what the simple act of loving Los Angeles has to do with acting. That’s like saying you want to become a rat because you love the New York City subway system. And to be fair, no one from One Direction’s camp has alluded to Harry’s leaving the band yet — and Zayn’s quitting has brought us enough grief to last an entire lifetime — so we’re going to go ahead and take this rumor with a huge grain of salt. Besides, anyone who saw One Direction’s episode of iCarly knows that Harry should probably just stick to singing.

Who’s gonna be the first to say goodbye? Looks like that would be Zayn Malik.

Zayn Malik announced Wednesday (March 25) that he quit One Direction, and within minutes Twitter transformed into a real-time tribute to the angel-voiced singer’s whole life. It seemed near impossible to tweet any non-1D-related news, as #ZaynMalik had taken over! The reactions range from pure anger to utter shock. Kids have even started live tweeting their reactions from school (via Buzzfeed).

Here’s a rundown of the top trending hashtags paying tribute to Zayn Malik and his perfect hair/voice/everything.